MANILA, Nov. 19, 2018— Warner Bros. Pictures’ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald cast a spell at the box office in the Philippines, opening with an impressive P109.53-M in its opening weekend, this was announced today by Francis Soliven, General Manager of Warner Bros. Philippines.

The second of five all new adventures in the Wizarding World™ created by J.K. Rowling, the film opened onNovember 15, with sold-out shows and fans lining up to be among the first to see the film. The opening weekend marked the year’s second-biggest debut for a Warner Bros. title, bested only by The Nun (P129-M).

Soliven stated, “We are so excited that Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has connected so strongly with fans, who have been eagerly anticipating a return to the Wizarding World. We expect word of mouth and repeat attendance to carry the film well into the holiday season and congratulate the dedicated filmmakers and the talented ensemble cast, who have created a moviegoing experience that delivers for a broad audience.”

At the end of the first Fantastic Beasts film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.

David Yates directed the film from a screenplay by J.K. Rowling. David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram produced, with Tim Lewis, Neil Blair, Rick Senat and Danny Cohen serving as executive producers.

The film reunited the behind-the-scenes creative team from the first Fantastic Beasts film, including director of photography Philippe Rousselot, production designer Stuart Craig, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and editor Mark Day. The music is by composer James Newton Howard.